Chapter 11
Slate
Two hours passed before the princess began to stir. Mom had left me to watch after Gray while she disappeared to cook dinner. I imagined she had a lot to process and mull over. I didn’t doubt she had theories—theories I hoped she wouldn’t get right.
A small whimper escaped from the princess, who hadn’t so much as flinched on the couch.
I jolted, sitting up, watching her in the hopes that she was waking at last. Like before, a groan came from her as she scrunched her forehead.
She didn’t seem to be in pain this time—rather she seemed uncomfortable.
Gods, she was so adorable when she made that face.
I guessed her magic was depleted from her body’s attempt to heal her.
Based on my own experiences from redfern poisoning, it always left the Kinetic drained.
Living in a modern world in the center of a busy city, we had tons of energy to draw from when we felt depleted.
It was never an issue to replenish our magic.
Energy sharing wasn’t common among Kinetics unless it was a dire situation.
Seeing the princess in this state, I considered it a dire situation.
I scooted closer to the edge of the couch and took both of her hands in mine, focusing on my well of power.
Light magic wasn’t considered a powerful form of energy, often being dismissed by others as a weaker form since it wasn’t strong offensively.
It didn’t mean my power wasn’t strong, though.
I worked hard to wield it in unconventional ways to catch my opponents off-guard.
Princess Gray’s hands were so tiny in my palms. I squeezed them. On the chance that she was awake but was too depleted to move or speak, I said softly, “You’re safe, Princess. It’s Slate, and I’m going to share my energy with you, okay?”
The barest of whimpers escaped her, and I took that as a sign that she was indeed awake.
I closed my eyes, concentrating on the depths of my magic within me.
I felt for the vibrations throughout my body, ready to transfer them to the princess, and directed my bright and warm light energy through the contact of our hands, hoping it filled her with comfort and a sense of safety.
More than anything, I hoped it would chase away the darkness that plagued her.
Several minutes passed while I felt my energy draining.
As more and more left my body, I focused on the sunshine streaming through the windows and absorbed it into my own body as she took what stores I had.
The bright light of my magic embraced our hands.
As she depleted me, I drained the afternoon’s rays until the office was shrouded in shadows.
At last, Gray’s eyelids fluttered open, gracing me with stormy blue eyes that stared back at me, dull and hollow.
I gazed at the broken princess. Neither of us spoke as my emotions twisted and choked me.
Finally, I broke the quiet. “You’re here.”
Princess Gray dropped her gaze. “Yeah.”
“Why’d you do it?” I whispered.
She snapped her gaze to me. “Do what?” she asked, her voice hoarse.
I leveled her with a knowing look. “You know what. The redfern. Why did you take it?”
“How’d you know?” she breathed.
I shrugged. “Someone around this place knows some things.”
Fear crept into her eyes as they rounded, and she tried to sit up with a sharp inhale. She swayed back and forth, her gaze becoming unfocused.
“Easy,” I coaxed, reaching for her shoulders and easing her back down onto the sofa.
“Who?” she weakly demanded, staring up at the ceiling.
“It’s not important right now,” I said. “I’m just glad I got to you when I did.”
“I wish you wouldn’t have.”
That protective surge returned, squeezing my heart. “Why? Is this because of that twisted shitshow the other day?”
Gray swallowed, moisture brimming in her eyes. “Doesn’t matter. It would be better for everyone if you hadn’t found me.”
“That’s…that’s the complete opposite of what it would’ve been,” I argued, mind blown that she had come to that conclusion and convinced herself of that.
If anything, it would’ve killed every hope we had for our world if I hadn’t found her in time.
If Chrome hadn’t had whatever connection tying them together, all would be lost.
“I’m weak. I’m no leader.” The princess’s voice cracked, thick with emotion as she fought to hold it back. “A defect.”
I shook my head vehemently. “No, no, you’re not.” My soul felt weary and heavy from the pain she carried on her small shoulders. I reached for her hand, cupping both of mine around hers. “I have to ask,” I paused, gauging her despondent reaction. “Does your father normally hurt you?”
Gray sniffled as she clenched her eyes shut. She didn’t answer my question, but the way she clutched my hand told me what I needed.
A headache began to pulse, my chest wanting to implode from suppressing the urge to storm out and run a sword through the king’s throat.
I took a deep breath, focusing on slowing the exhale to contain my anger in front of her.
That was the last thing she needed. What she needed was for someone to make her feel safe.
And I’d gladly be that person. As would Chrome if he could be near her.
“I’m so sorry, Princess,” I whispered, scared my voice would betray me. “For how long?”
“It doesn’t matter,” she answered blandly. “No one would care.”
“It does matter,” I responded with conviction. “I care.”
Princess Gray pulled in a shaky breath, her voice quivering when she said, “Everyone just watched. They even cheered for my punishment.”
“Not everyone.” My thumb soothed gentle, small circles over the top of her hand.
Gray closed her eyes again, biting her trembling bottom lip to hold back the tears that needed to be released. “They all hate me. Always have.”
“I…” I began, saying my thoughts aloud. “I didn’t think it was that bad.”
Gray snorted, pulling her hand from mine. “Of course not.”
I frowned. “What do you mean by that?”
The princess sighed. “Because you’re a hero. Why would you care?”
My heart sank as guilt tumbled through my insides, bulldozing through every moment I thought she had chosen to be alone like a boulder decimating every tree down a mountain.
How had I never truly noticed how badly everyone treated her?
“I just always thought you enjoyed being alone. Some people do,” I admitted sheepishly.
No matter how hard she seemed to try, she couldn’t stop the tears from sliding down her cheeks. “I’m so tired of being alone. I only have one friend. Scarlett. And seeing or talking to her for more than five minutes is nearly impossible, thanks to my dad.”
“You’re not alone anymore.” And I meant it. “I promise you. You’re gonna get trained to fight. And when you do, you’ll see just how strong you truly are. And how very not alone you are.”
With a heavy sigh, she sniffled again, wiping away her tears. “I’ve already told you, he’ll never let me.”
I chuckled. “I think you’ll find I don’t break my promises, Princess.”
“We’ll see about that.”
The front door into the Helair suite clicked shut behind me. With my backpack draped over my shoulder, I headed to the kitchen to find my mom.
Drained from the events involving the princess, I just wanted to shower and crash. But I needed to eat first. The scent of roast beef wafted throughout the suite, and I groaned. “Mom!” I called.
Chrome hadn’t taken the news of Gray’s reaction earlier too well.
I spent the better part of the early evening calming him down before he annihilated the Kinetic Palace with his power.
Once I told him I made sure she made it to the King’s Suite safely and with no one finding out what had happened, he seemed to calm.
Silence greeted me when I entered the kitchen despite both my parents being present. I paused.
My father stood with a severely rigid posture and pinched expression. Mom’s concerned eyes and drawn lips told me she felt guilty for filling Dad in on what happened with the princess, but I hadn’t expected her to hide it from him. I was just too wiped to deal with the fallout.
“Slate.” My father crossed his arms, leaning against the countertop.
“Dad,” I sighed, relaxing my stance in resignation to whatever fate lay ahead of me.
“Your mother filled me in on what happened today. Now it’s time for you to give us both some answers.”
“I wish I had them to give you.” I shrugged.
“Bullshit, son. And you know it.”
I cast my gaze to the ceiling in the hope that answers resided there. Maybe the gods were real and would give me something—anything—so they’d drop it. “I found her on the stairwell, unconscious.”
“That doesn’t explain how you knew it was redfern poisoning.”
“It was obvious. I’ve been cut by Elemental blades, as has Chrome, too many times for me not to recognize the signs of untreated redfern poisoning.”
Dad chewed on his lip, narrowing his eyes at me. “Fine. I’ll buy that. But what about the fit she had? That wasn’t typical of redfern poisoning.”
“I have no idea what caused that, to be honest,” I lied. I hoped it was smooth enough.
“Then what about the necklace?” he pressed.
Fuck. I still hadn’t come up with a good excuse for that.
I sighed, running my palms over my face and massaging my temples. “I don’t know. I just…figured I’d try it. It was the only other thing I could think of at the time. I was lucky.”
Dad glanced at Mom, their suspicion clear on their faces by how they silently communicated. “We know you’re hiding something, son. I hope you wouldn’t withhold vital information from the insurgency. This could make or break the entire operation. Especially if it involves the princess.”
I shook my head. “Of course not, Dad.”
My dad bore the weight of his scrutiny onto me for several heavy moments before relaxing his shoulders with a sigh. “Well, whatever you did, you did good. You saved the princess, and it seems the king knows nothing about what happened.”
A breath of relief rushed from me. “Good. That’s good.”
My dad furrowed his brows. “And why is that?”
I closed my eyes. “Because,” I started, unsure if I should say anything. I didn’t know if they’d believe me or not. “She told me he hurts her regularly behind closed doors. And I believe her.”
My dad clenched his jaw, closing his eyes while my mother gasped and covered her mouth. “Of course he does. Fucking asshole,” he growled, balling his hands into fists as his face reddened.
Not expecting it to be that simple, I cocked an eyebrow and tilted my head in surprise. “You believe me?” I asked skeptically.
Dad looked at me as if I’d lost my mind.
“Any father who’d publicly humiliate their child, adopted or not, in front of the entire court clearly would abuse his child behind closed doors.
” With a snort, he turned his back and faced the counter to grab a plate to load it with food.
“Fucking worthless waste of energy. No godsdamn leader of mine.”
I cracked my knuckles as I strode to the counter and grabbed a plate from beside my dad. Mom cleaned when she was upset, so she tidied up the kitchen in solemn silence, her youthful expression drawn tight. “Mom?” I asked from her side.
“Hm?” She startled, forcing a smile on her face. “Yes, honey?”
“You okay?” I asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into my chest for a hug. I still found it wild how I’d grown two heads taller than her in recent years.
“Oh, honey. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” She smiled again, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I just worry about the princess. Do you think it could’ve been an assassin? Potentially a Kinetic?”
If it hadn’t been for Chrome’s connection to her, I would’ve began to panic. But without giving too much away, I simply said, “I really hope that it hasn’t reached that point, Ma.”
With a shaky breath, she nodded. “Gods, I hope not.”
“We’ll keep her safe,” I said into her hair, my heart feeling heavy tonight for the princess I felt compelled to protect. Her eyes reminded me of empty storm clouds, haunting me every time my brain slowed down.
I took my plate and entered the dining room, sitting at the table with my parents and sister.
We sat in a heavy silence as we all processed in our own way that our princess was being abused and slandered by her own father publicly.
The fact that she nearly died today was just a nail in the coffin.
Our typical jovial family dinners were nonexistent as we ate in quietude.
Once everyone finished their meals, my father cleared his throat, wiping the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief from his lap.
“Since tonight’s topic revolves around the princess, I have some news on that front.
” He speared me with a look that had me straightening in my seat.
“I spoke with my lovely sister-in-law today,” he began, basically spitting the word ‘lovely.’ “It took a lot of convincing, but Amethyst has agreed to convince Forest to allow you to train Princess Gray.”
I perked up, my eyes wide. “Seriously?”
What’s the catch?
“Seriously. Any idea she’s ever had and run by the king, he’s agreed to it. You can bet that he’ll agree to this, as well. I’ll let you know what she says tomorrow. But start making preparations in your schedule to train her.”
I nodded slowly, surprised by the news. “Yeah, of course.”
“Slate,” Dad warned. “Train her up to your level in sparring and weapons. The only positive thing that can come from the information she revealed is that the princess should hold no loyalty to the king once she is strong enough to fend for herself. By that point, she might just be angry enough to kill him herself and take his place as queen.”
“Yes. That is definitely the end goal,” Mom cut in. “However, that poor girl needs a friend. You should’ve seen her, Garnet.”
I dropped my gaze to the table, overwhelmed with sadness and guilt, as the princess’s earlier words flashed through my mind. How long had she been going through this alone?
“I can try to talk to her. Maybe become her friend?” Hazel spoke up. “I’m not the most social person, but maybe just one other friend won’t hurt,” she said with a shrug before sipping the sweet tea at her side.
I wanted to hug my sister. One of those pick-her-up-and-squeeze-her kind of hugs where she fought against me fruitlessly. “That would be great, Hazel. She could really use a friend like you.”
Hazel gave me a sheepish smile before placing her hands in her lap, returning her attention to our parents.